Officer Involved In Death Of Philando Castile Charged With Manslaughter

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi says Officer Jeronimo Yanez use of deadly force was not justified.

Minnesota officer Jeronimo Yanez was given three criminal charges Wednesday (Nov. 16) for his role in the wrongful death of Philando Castile.

The Star Tribunereports Ramsey County Attorney John Choi announced the charges this afternoon during a press conference with uncovered details on their three-month investigation into the case. Officer Yanez was charged with second-degree manslaughter and two felony counts of dangerous discharge of a firearm. Choi said Yanez's justified use of deadly force claim was not met. “It is my conclusion that the use of deadly force by Officer Yanez was not justified and that sufficient facts exist to prove this to be true,” he said.

Castile, father and employee at a Saint Paul Public School, was shot a reported seven times on July 6 by Officer Yanez during a traffic stop. The aftermath of the shooting was filmed by Castile's girlfriend Lavish "Diamond" Reynolds on Facebook Live, which was seen by millions. The shooting along with the death of Alton Sterling in the same week sparked protests across the country.

By looking over Officer Yanez's dash and body camera footage, Choi says Castile was "calm courteous, respectful, calm, and careful" during the traffic stop. Castile was shot within one minute of his encounter with the officer. Prosecutors claimed Yanez stopped Castile over suspicions he was involved in a robbery the night before, despite his initial claim he stopped the couple for a broken taillight. Castile was in fact not involved in any crime the night before. Castile calmly informed the officer of his concealed carry permit, which was found in his pocket at the time of his death.

Yanez is the first officer to be charged in police-related shootings in Minnesota since 2000. The police related shooting of Jamar Clark was used as guidance in the case.

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TLC's Chilli is sending love and light to Cardi B amid the rapper's recent break up with Offset. In a new interview with People, Chilli praised the rapper for handling her public situation much better than she handled her break up with Usher in 2003.

"I have gone through a public breakup, and it is not easy," Chilli, whose real name is Rozanda Thomas, said referring to her split from Usher. "When strangers know your business and want to chime in while you’re still dealing with the pain yourself, it’s difficult. Breakups are hard on anyone, but can you imagine if strangers knew your business? It’s rough."

Thomas also claimed that Cardi was "braver" than she was as she "just sort of shut down" when her two-year relationship to the R&B crooner ended. "I am proud of her for being strong and standing up for herself during a time that is obviously a very hurtful one," she continued. "She has a strong sense of self. That’s why fans have connected with her this way. She talks about her highs and lows; she is fearless."

Later in the interview, Chilli suggested that she would be open to working with Cardi on new music. "I don’t usually like to collaborate with females, and the reason why is because of Lisa," she added. "That is just a little weird for me, personally. But I think with Cardi B, she is an exception to the rule. TLC and Cardi B all day long. We’ve gotten a lot of love from Cardi. It’s really an honor."

Childish Gambino wrapped his This Is America Tour in Los Angeles on Monday (Dec. 17) with a special tribute to his father, Donald Glover Sr. The multi-talented artist revealed that his dad passed away a couple of weeks ago, and commemorated his life by previewing a new single.

"I lost my father a couple weeks ago," he announced in a video that was posted on Reddit. "I wanted to play him some of the new songs, but he didn't want to hear them, because he was like, 'I know they're going to be great.'"

He added: "I'm not saying that to talk about music — I say that to talk about trust. That's what love is. I hope you guys get to feel that kind of love."

He later previewed one of the songs he wanted to share with his dad, as seen in a video a fan posted on Twitter. The song sounds like an uptempo tune with heavy horn instrumentals.

The announcement comes shortly after Gambino returned to the stage after suffering from a foot injury. Ahead of the tour, the "Feels Like Summer" rapper also announced that his next album would be his last project under the moniker Childish Gambino. It's unclear if the new track will appear on the final album.

Comedy duo Desus & Mero have kept their brand strong since joining forces in 2012 but the newly-appointed CEO of Vice believes their move to Showtime wasn't the best decision.

In an interview with Elle, Nancy Dubuc shared her plans to rebuild the outlet since reports of sexual harassment allegations, unlawful HR practices and the stepping down of Shane Smith came to light this year. Changing the bro culture has removed content and replacing it with more substantial content and finding gems that will also replace the gap left by Desus & Mero.

The guys brought high ratings to the network during their reign from August 2016 to June 2018, but Dubuc doesn't see this happening for their upcoming series at Showtime. “They’re going to a platform that their audience doesn’t pay for,” she said. “I told them, ‘You can always come back.’”

In an interview with Bossip over the summer, the guys revealed their contracts were cut two months early after news about their deal with Showtime went public. They show consisted of the two commentating on the latest in politics and pop culture while interviewing big names like Gabrielle Union, Rachel Maddow, Diddy, Vic Mensa and Tracee Ellis Ross. They also opened up about their organic approach in comedy was nearly butchered when the network demanded them to work 24/7.

“We were carrying that network on our back, and we felt the weight,” Desus said. “They were talking about, ‘Do not take the weeks off because we don’t get ratings,’ and it’s like, 'Yo, we’re just two people.'”

“We were literally the LeBron of that network,” Mero added. “As a dad, you wanna be around for milestones for like graduations, birthdays…and it’s obnoxious to have to be like, ‘I can’t go to my kid’s graduation because we leave the studio at 3 o’clock and the graduation is at 4.’”

Mero believed the duo were undervalued and not appreciated by the network until it was too late. Their brand transcended platforms as the guys are still active on Twitter and their podcast roots, taking the brand to new heights.

“The channel wanted us to die for this f**king network,” Desus said at the time. “We’re also the highest rated show on the network, put some respect on our name, have someone come massage my feet.”

We doubt the duo will go back to Vice as excitement for their series on Showtime continues to grow. The guys are already making strides by adding black women to their writing team and recently dropped a teaser for the show.

The brand is strong. #DESUSandMERO are bringing the culture to #Showtime beginning Thurs, Feb 21, at 11p/10c! #BodegaHive pic.twitter.com/3DwcWXgrEO